Criminal Court: Death Sentence for Kuwaiti National, Egyptian Woman, and Her Son in Cocaine Trafficking and Money Laundering Case

The Criminal Court, presided over by Advisor Ahmed Al-Sudais and with Judges Youssef Al-Salahi and Omar Sadiq, and the secretariat of Ibrahim Al-Farsi, sentenced today a Kuwaiti national, an Egyptian woman, and her Egyptian son to death after convicting them of trafficking in cocaine and psychoactive substances, and money laundering from criminal proceeds. The court decided to refrain from pronouncing a sentence on a fourth defendant, instead ordering him to provide bail of 500 dinars and to pledge good behavior for two years.

The facts of the case, according to the Public Prosecution’s investigations and testimony from an officer in the General Directorate of Criminal Investigations, involved information and inquiries confirming that the first defendant possessed narcotics and psychoactive substances with the intent to traffic and consume them. This necessitated obtaining authorization from the Public Prosecution and conducting a controlled purchase under security supervision.

According to details of the arrest, a confidential source, coordinated and monitored by investigators, agreed with the first defendant to purchase three grams of cocaine for 360 dinars at the Al-Zahraa Cooperative Society parking lot. He was caught in the act after completing the sale, and the agreed-upon amount of money and the sold narcotics were found in his possession.

A search of the first defendant’s residence revealed various quantities of cocaine and psychoactive substances prepared for sale and distribution, in addition to cash suspected to be proceeds of criminal activity, several sensitive scales, and packaging tools used to prepare narcotics for distribution.

Investigations revealed that the first defendant admitted to possessing the seized items with the intent to traffic and consume them. He also confessed that he obtained the narcotics from the second defendant, who was abroad and managed sales operations through the “Snapchat” application. The third defendant, his mother, was responsible for receiving the substances and delivering them to the first defendant, then collecting the sales proceeds and transferring them to her son abroad through exchange companies after deducting agreed-upon commissions.

Search and inspection measures also uncovered quantities of psychoactive substances inside the third defendant’s residence. Inquiries indicated that the three defendants collaborated in managing an organized network for trafficking in narcotics and psychoactive substances and laundering the financial proceeds derived from them. Case documents indicated that the first, second, and third defendants also committed the crime of money laundering involving proceeds from drug trafficking. The value of the funds involved in the crime amounted to approximately 73,830 dinars, which were acquired, transferred, converted, and their true source concealed, and introduced into the financial system in a manner aimed at disguising their illicit origin and giving them a legal appearance.

After reviewing the case, hearing witness testimonies, defense arguments, and examining technical evidence and forensic reports, the court concluded that the charges against the three main defendants were proven. It sentenced them to death, while refraining from pronouncing a sentence on the fourth defendant, ordering him instead to provide bail of 500 dinars and to pledge good behavior for two years.